IAM FAQ

From BMEzine Encyclopedia

IMPORTANT NOTE: This is a work-in-progress and not all the links in this document currently work. While this FAQ will eventually become the official IAM FAQ, at this time the official FAQ is still here!

First of all, IAM is sort of like public television in that while we do require a payment (including BME image/experience donations) to sign up and sustain a page, we survive largely on donations — the small fee we charge barely covers our costs. Finally, by helping BME (Body Modification Ezine)" with images and stories, you are also helping IAM (since BME currently shoulders most of IAM's debts).

Note: IAM is constantly evolving, so this FAQ may be out of date.
This FAQ page was last updated on December 19, 2008.

The Basics

How come it keeps trying to download stuff?

Turn off your download manager. Some download managers mistake the output from IAM's modules for programs to download.

I just created myself, but I'm not on the main index, and I can't find myself in the search box.

You won't show up until you upload a picture, and then a diary entry. This is to keep the IAM indexes from being filled with vacant accounts. Please note that USING IAM is a requirement of being here, so if your page stays empty for more than two weeks, it will be deleted.

A friend of mine changed their username. How do I find their new one?

Click here to view the name change log file.

How do I change my username?

In general usernames can't be changed. However.... it might be possible in the following circumstances:

Someone else has almost the same username and it's causing confusion or is just upsetting for some reason (ie. "rachel" and "bcrachel")
There's a typo in your username ("micheal" instead of "michael" is a good example)
Your username is linked to a lifestyle choice which is no longer relevant (most commonly this means changing "xusernamex" to "username" when the person turns 21 — and no, that's not a bad joke, it's a common request).
Your username is driving you bonkers for some reason and you want to change it (often because you used your BME account name and didn't know you could pick anything you wanted).
To simplify your username or remove special characters (ie. "pink325782" to "pink").

It is NOT an option if you "just feel like changing names" on a regular basis!

If you need to change your username, click here.

Please note that username changes are not without their problems. The following errors could/will occur:

Any forums you have may become de-indexed or may not properly index from that point on. If you have your forums in the searchable index, it's recommended that you remove them before changing names.
If you are a verified pro, you will need to re-apply.
If you are a member of any members only forums you will no longer be able to access them until you are re-added. It is essential that you remove them from your favorite forums list (or else you might be detected falsely as a "hacker").
You may need to delete and re-add any polls on your page.
If you are an experience reviewer, you will lose any points you have built up.
Links to your page from BME won't work any more.
Any pending instant messages you've sent people may not be replied to since they may appear to be from a non-existent user.
If you are using the site when the username is activated, you could be locked out (the system might think you're a hacker). If that occurs, you will need to clear your cookies.
Any forum posts from you will still be labeled with your old username.
Any classified ads you have will become "not yours". Please delete any classifieds you have before changing names.
Any events that you are running will become unlinked from your account. People who have active events should not change their name.
Any petitions you have signed will display your original username.
Any event RSVP lists you have signed will display your original username.
People using your old URL could think you've been deleted (ie. there's no automatic redirect to your new page).
It will mess up the layout on your forums. To fix this, just go into edit mode, and click the edit button next to each forum. Don't change anything; just hit "make change". This will update your forum with the new ownership details.

What are the rules, and what do I do if I think someone is breaking them?

Please visit the terms of service page for more information on that subject.

Do I have to post pictures of my body modifications?

You don't have to post anything if you don't want to, and all subjects in general are valid, but considering your interest in body modification is how you got here, it is strongly recommended. You do have to post either pictures of your body modification or body play, or link to experiences/stories about them.

What are the little CBR and MOM tattoo icons next to some users' names?

Those icons verify that they are "confirmed" or verified professional tattoo artists or body piercers (click those links for more info about them and where they work).

You can access more iam.pro functions and apply to be a veritied pro by clicking here.

Why is it telling me I have to be 18 to visit some pages?

Those pages may have adult content (the owners chose to block access for legal reasons). If you are getting those messages and you are over 18, log out and log back in to reset it.

Isn't iam.bmezine.com/?myname kind of a crappy URL to tell hot dudes at bars?

Yeah, if they're hotter than they are smart, maybe it is. IAM automatically includes a custom domain of myname.bmezine.com which redirects to your IAM page. This only works if you are using an alpha-numeric name with no spaces or special characters. If you are using special characters, you can use the >alias tool to pick an alternate name which will direct to you.

I think I may be addicted to IAM. What can I do?

If you'd like to force yourself to "take a break", you can instruct the IAM server software to lock you out of the system for up to thirty days. To use this function, click here.

Editing Your Page and Troubleshooting

Visit the IAM Page Visual Guide for a basic guide on editing your IAM page.

What is the experience list?

The experience list lets you link to files on BME only (since ultimately this is a community site for BME contributors).

Usually this is used to link to anything you've written for BME. To add them, just copy and paste the URL (the internet address) into the image URL box (after picking "New") and type whatever you want for a description.

Why do I get errors when I try and upload my pictures?

There are two reasons why image uploads sometimes don't work:

Images must be JPG files, GIF files (animated is fine), or PNG files. No other file formats work.
Images must be 250k or smaller (although we recommend you make them as small as you can). When you save your images (in your photo editor) make sure to compress them so they are at least this small.

Are there any tools for renaming galleries, moving images between galleries, and so on?

There are four tools right now to handle this stuff:

Gallery Renamer - For renaming (and merging) galleries
Gallery Shifter - For moving images between galleries
Gallery Killer - For deleting entire galleries
Gallery Date Editor - For changing the display order of images inside a gallery

If you set the name of your modracker (in the layout settings) "*", it won't render the title at all (except when you're in edit mode, since it needs something to put the buttons next to).

In addition, if you title an image "*", it won't display the caption. If descriptions of images are just one character long, they won't display either. Finally, if you set the name of an image in your modtracker to "*", it will not be zoomable (ie. just a thumbnail), and when people do click it on your front page, it links straight to the gallery it represents (so it's nice for setting up links). Basically the goal of these was to allow for slightly more compact rendering.

I added screwed up HTML to my page, and now I can't edit it!

Make sure you're logged in, and then follow one of the following links:

If you've really messed up your page, and the long description edit link doesn't even work, you can use the following one to clear your long description totally:

CLEAR your long description (use with caution)

If your mistake is in a diary entry, the following link will clear your most recent entry (click it as many times as you need to):

Delete your latest diary

I have custom layout turned on, and now I can't edit my page!

It should be noted that custom layout was activated on December 4th 2002; if your page suddenly went blank, that may be why.

You can click here to >edit layout parameters and turn it off.

I entered my birthday wrong. How do I fix that?

You only get to enter your birthday once when you join the site. There's no reason normally why a person should have to change their birthday. That said, if you do need to change it you will need to >contact me with the details.

The only restriction is that if you are asking me to change your birthday from an underage (ie. 17 or younger) date to one that's 18 or over, you will need to include a scan of a piece of ID.

Why is my main page covering up my poll box?

Because you've got too much stuff to fit on the width of your screen. There are a couple of solutions. First of all, is to edit your layout and to move the poll to under the main picture or description.

Alternately, edit the layout to make the main description window or page width narrower so that the poll fits.

How do I make it so my comment forums don't have numbers next to them?

If you'd rather not have the number (#) listed after the comment forum link, just include "/nonum" somewhere in the link title text. If you forgot to do it, you can always edit the diary and add it.

Do I have to list my forums in my main description? I don't like the way they look?

If you'd rather link your forums manually, you can include "**NOFORUM**" in the body of your main description. The forums will still exist and index properly, but the IAM page rendering engine won't draw the links to them when you page is being viewed.

They will however display when you are in edit mode. Assuming you want your forums publicly visible, you should manually link to them from your main description.

Why are my diaries and mods overlapping (and similar issues)?

Assuming that you didn't change the size settings to force this, the most common reason for this is because you've made long titles for your mods, forcing the mod box to get wider. You can either change your settings to reflect a wider mod box, or you can shorten the titles using edit. This can also sometimes occur if you add too many pictures to a single diary entry.

Special Features

What are the commands I can use to customize the look of diary entries?

**TC** "TC" stands for "total control". If you use this macro in a diary entry it will be posted without any "framing" by the IAM server. Only the HTML (and images) that you specify in the diary entry will be shown. This allows you to essentially insert a piece custom HTML in place of a diary entry, giving you almost limitless control.

**NOTIME** Do not include time on this diary entry.

**PIXBG** First picture uploaded will be made the background image for this entry.

**PIX#** (ie. **PIX1**, **PIX2**) Manually insert picture in this location. This will insert a thumbnail that links to the fullsize image unless you also use **PIXFULL** (below).

**PIX#FULL** (ie. **PIX1FULL**, **PIX2FULL**) Manually insert picture in this location. This will insert the full size image, not a thumbnail.

**PIX#LINK** (ie. **PIX1LINK**, **PIX2LINK**) This will insert a link to the full size image. Use it like this: <a href=**PIX1LINK**">Link text</a>

**PIXFULL** Display picture at full size (rather than as a clickable thumbnail). If you use this all images in this entry will be displayed at full size.

**PIX** Locate pictures in this location.

**PIXLEFT** Left align the picture set.

**PIXRIGHT** Right align the picture set.

**IMAGEFORUM** Creates an image upload link in your forum.

**NOBME** Unchecks the box to automatically submit images to BME. Use this with the **IMAGEFORUM** code if your forum is not BME photo specific.

**IAMONLY** Only show this entry to logged in IAM members.

**ADULT** Only show this entry to IAM members who are 18 or older.

**YOUTH** Only show this entry to IAM members who are 17 or younger.

**BG######** Override the entry's background color with this value (this can be used in the title or body).

**ONLINE: whatever** If you are currently online (active on IAM within the last five minutes), whatever will be displayed.

**OFFLINE: whatever** If you are currently offline (not active on IAM within the last five minutes), whatever will be displayed.

**MINUTES 3 - 5: Blah blah blah** If you've been inactive for somewhere inside the specified range of minutes, blah blah blah will be displayed.

**COLORFADE x - y: htmlcolor - htmlcolor [NOUNDER] [NOOVER]** This special macro creates an HTML color code that fades between a specified six digit hex HTML color code. FOr example, **COLORFADE 0 - 10: 00ff00 - 000000** would output a color that fades from bright green. You can also specify multiple ranges using the NOOVER and/or NOUNDER to create no output if the input is out of range. If you don't use these, an out of range input will be snapped to the maximum. For example, if you were to have the HTML fragment  the text color would change as you became dormant. From zero to two minutes it would be bright green. Then from two minutes to ten minutes it would fade from green to red, and then down to black over the next ten minutes.

**FAKEMINUTES: x** For the time-related macros above, you can use the FAKEMINUTES setting to override your actual dormant time to x minutes (since when you're testing it will always be 0 minutes).

**USER: username, username, username** blah blah blah

- USEREND**

Inside segment is only shown to the listed usernames.

**USERNOT: username, username, username** blah blah blah

- USERNOTEND**

Inside segment is only shown to users OTHER than the listed ones.

**RANDOM: phrase | phrase | phrase** This randomly chooses one of the specified phrases to display.

**ALINK** If you enter this in the body of a diary entry, the timestamp of the entry will be turned into a link which represents a permalink to that entry (useful for if you have something important to say and you think others might like to link to it).

**LINK** This is similar to **ALINK**, but is not automatic. It generates just the URL for the entry link, so you'll have to use it in a context like this: <a href=**LINK**">Permalink</a>

Can I create buddy lists that can see restricted entries?

Yes -- by creating user lists and inserting **'BLIST1** or **'BLIST2** into the body of the entry you can make it so certain entries are only shown to certain user groups. When you edit those lists, it will retroactively add or remove access to those entries for the people on the list. In addition, it allows you to create a custom error message for those not on the list (for example, "This entry is for members of the Well Hung suspension crew only. If you're a member and you're not seeing this, contact me so I can add you to the list.").

The following URL will let you edit your two access lists (I'm adding this to the FAQ also): >http://iam.bmezine.com/iamnedit.exe?cmd=bliste

When access is allowed, a small "lock" icon will appear to the right of the entry title. This is to let readers know that they're viewing a restricted entry (so they don't gossip, or whatever). If you'd prefer that this icon not appear, just include **'NOLOCK**' in the text of the entry as well.

Please note that I have not yet activated this feature in custom layout mode.

Can I hide just part of an entry using the **BLISTx** feature?

Yes -- by also using **BLIST1END** and/or **BLIST2END**, what's contained between the two tags will be displayed only to the people on the list. The rest of the entry will be judged separately (by default it would be shown to everyone, but you can combine tags).

How and when do I rate my page as adult?

By clicking the USER:RATE button when in edit mode, you can set your entire page (including galleries) to adults only. You should use this option if your page or its galleries contains adult refereces (ie. sex and drugs).

How do I make a forum age restricted?

If you enter **'ADULT** in the description for a forum (ie. the box at the top of the forum), it will automatically start restricting age to those who are 18 and older. **'YOUTH** can also be used to restrict access to minors only should you decide to.

Is there any way to check if the person I'm talking to is an adult?

Yes, click here to verify that someone is 18. It will not tell you their age or birthday or any information other than "minor/not-minor". This response is based on the birthday they entered on signup and there is no way for the software to be able to 100% verify its answer though.

What if just some of the images in my galleries are adult?

I've implemented a system whereby images in galleries on your page can be designated as adult; not just diary entries (or your whole page). You'll want to use this feature if you have an otherwise all-ages page, but have a genital gallery or something else that might not be legally appropriate for all ages.

All you have to do is put **ADULT** into the description or title of the image (in either your mod-trackers or main gallery). Note that this is done on a per image basis, rather than by the entire gallery. If the user is underage, the system simply doesn't load that image (removing it from the gallery for them automatically). If every image is tagged adult, it doesn't show the gallery at all.

Please let me emphasize that since this is integrated into the load routines that it would be a very bad idea to tag images as adult if you either are underage, or have not yet logged out and in to reset your status (since if you try and edit your page, it'll delete those images).

Is there any way to tell who has me on their buddy list?

Yes, just click here.

How can I block certain people from visiting my page?

If you enter edit mode on your page, and then click the LAYOUT:EDIT button, scroll down a little way and you'll see an option called "Banned users". Any users you list there (separated by commas, no spaces) will be blocked from accessing your page.

There are also three "special users" you can ban (enter then EXACTLY as you see here):

*adult - If you are underage, and you are uncomfortable with people who are running pornographic pages visiting your page without you being able to see who they are in return, you can add this code to your banned users list to block those people.
*dead - This blocks all users that have not updated their page within the last month. The theory is "why should they be able to read my updates when they don't even post updates?"
*new - This blocks all users that don't have "full" pages (that is, pages without diary entries). By setting this tag, you effectively block "spy pages" from accessing your IAM page.

It should be noted that to use these features you should set your publicity settings to "all members" (that is, IAM members only) rather than "all visitors" (the general non-IAM public). Otherwise a person can simply log out and view your page.

Can I ban a certain ISP or IP address?

Yes, on your ban list (above), you can do three other kinds of banning, all related to the ISP the viewer is using. Note that these apply to only public (non-IAM) viewers (if you want to ban members, do them by name):

ip: 123.123.123.123 - This blocks access from this specific IP address. This is only going to be useful if the person is using a cable modem or DSL connection or something else with a relatively constant IP address.
ip: 123.123.123.* - This blocks whole ranges of IP addresses. You make it as wide a class as you want (ie. ip: 69.* would work, but it would kill a lot of access).
ip: aol.com - This blocks access from an ISP. Please note though that (a) this will slow down your page's load time as we need to determine a person's hostname, and (b) doesn't work for connections that don't report a hostname. Personally, I'd recommend that people use the numeric options instead.

Uh oh! I just banned myself from my page!

Here's a direct link to the page where you can edit your banlist.

I have a popular forum, but I'm tired of it. Can a friend take it over?

If you'd like to move a forum from your page to a friend's page, please send me (>rachel ) an instant message with a link to the forum and who's page it's getting moved to. After I move it, it'll appear on their page with the title "Moved Forum". They can then edit it to set the correct title and all that, and then you should delete the now defunct link from your page. Please note that if you are using forum buttons for others to link to your forum that they will cease functioning since the URL will change (but all of the old posts will remain).

Can I convert a diary comment forum into a main forum?

If you'd like to change a comment forum into a main forum (so it can be indexed, have buttons made, and so on), please send me (rachel) an instant message with a link to the forum. After I move it, it'll appear on your page with the title "Moved Forum". You can then edit it to set the correct title and all that. All of the posts from the diary forum (which will now be empty) will be moved to this new forum.

How can I add a petition onto my page?

Petitions are a fun way to interact with the other users, and are also very useful when organizing events.

Here is the link to add a petition: http://iam.bmezine.com/iamnedit.exe?cmd=newpet&**usr**

How can I get a list of email addresses of everyone who's signed my petition?

You may want to contact the people on your petition list; the following command will list all the email addresses of people on your petition. If they don't want to share their email address, you will be provided with a link to send them an instant message using the iam.alive system. Here is the link: http://iam.bmezine.com/iamedit.exe?cmd=harvestpet&**usr**

How can I search a user's page?

You can't search a user's page for text, but you can create a link to a specific diary entry using the following link:

http://iam.bmezine.com/iams.exe. Please note that this utiltiy is out of date and may not display all diary entries correctly.

How do I change the look and feel of my page (backgrounds, etc.?)

When you switch to edit mode, on the title bar an "EDIT" button will appear. Click on that. A warning though -- you are fiddling with some low-level page parameters and you could in theory damage your page. So be careful!

What are some color codes?

Color codes are standard HTML six digit hexadecimal codes. Do not start them with a "#" sign though (just the six digits)! You can find lots of references by searching for "HTML Color Codes" -- here's [http://htmlgoodies.earthweb.com/tutors/colors.html a good page I turned up.]

There has to be an easier way to set page colors...

I have a semi-automated color fader tool that can make picking colors easy here. You can also use the less predictable pagefcuker tool.

I've really messed up my page. How do I reset it?

Reset your page to its default colors and layout by clicking here.

Is there an "undo" tool for layout?

You can backup your layout and colors by clicking here and then restore it by clicking here.

How do I add background images?

OK. First, they need to be JPGs, same as before, but you should compress them a bit more just to make your page load better. Then you need to upload them -- click the upload link from the parameter editing page (above). You'll be able to select one of eight "slots" to insert the new image into. When you've uploaded it, you can plug this in to the background image parameters by entering "special1", "special2", or whatever image you want to use.

Why don't the paragraph breaks show in my diary and descriptions?

All of these boxes allow -- and expect HTML. That means that you must insert a "" code at the end of every paragraph (or a " " at the end of every line break). If you're an absolute beginner at HTML, you may also want to use bold codes and italic codes.

How do I change the style of my page, add javascripts, etc.?

Because full HTML is allowed, you can just paste things like this into your main description.

Can I use CSS?

Yes, but it might interfere with the stock HTML on the page. CSS is recommended for custom layout only. It will not behave predictably in other circumstances.

Can I use javascripts?

No. Currently you cannot use any kind of scripts on your page.

How do "ban lists" work?

Ban lists allow you to stop specific people from viewing or posting to your forum (or page or IM system).

For example, if you set your view ban list to "rachel, big apple, bobo" then those three users can't access your forum. If you set your view ban to "rachel" and your post ban to "big apple, bobo", then "rachel" can't access the room at all, and the other two can access the room, but can't post in it. Normally ban lists work in exclusive mode -- that is, it excludes anyone on the list. However, you can also set your ban list to work in inclusive mode. For example, if you set your view ban list to "only rachel, big apple, bobo" then these only these three users will be able to access the room -- no one else would be able to see it.

What is iam.code?

IAM.code was an embedded programming language used in an earlier version of the IAM software. It has been discontinued.

How do I put a tracker or hit counter on my page?

Full instructions on the use of trackers and hit counters are on (invisible)'s page.

Can I clear all the names in my tracker?

here to clear your tracker.

Please note that there is no confirmation step. If you click that link, all the names in your tracker will be instantly cleared. This will also fix the bug that occurs when you change your IAM name and your tracker starts tracking you.

Clearing your tracker will not damage it in any way other than removing the names — they will instantly start to build up again.

Whoa!! I don't want people knowing I visited their page!

If trackers make you uncomfortable, you can edit your settings (click settings on the main page) and turn "tracker warning" on. Then any time you visit a page with a tracker on it, you'll be shown a warning before you are tracked, giving you the option to abort. In addition, many users will include a more extensive warning letting you know what their personal privacy policy is.

How do I add a privacy policy statement to my page?

You can add one by clicking here.

Is there any way for people who are not IAM members to see my page?

This is a "gated community." However, I realize that many people have come to use IAM as their primary homepage, so I've set it up so you can create a small page for non-members to access, so you can still use IAM for anyone in the world to contact you. Add that by clicking here. In addition, in your layout settings you can decide how much access to give non-IAM users. More details are on >(non-iam) 's page.

IAM FAQ

From BMEzine Encyclopedia

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The Basics

Editing Your Page and Troubleshooting

Special Features

More General Questions

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